From February 13 through to 17, Parkour coaches from seven OGU Member Federations attended an FIG Parkour Age Group (Coaching) Camp on the Gold Coast, Australia. For many of the coaches, this camp was their first time undertaking formal coaching education. For some, it was even the first time leaving their home country. The coaches finished the camp motivated and ready to share their knowledge of Parkour with their communities.
The OGU was very lucky to welcome presenters Charles Perriere (France), FIG Parkour Technical Committee Chair, and Nicolas Fischer (Switzerland), FIG Parkour Technical Committee Member. Australian local Ben Cork, also an FIG Parkour Technical Committee Member, was in attendance throughout the camp to support the coaches in planning how to convert their new gained knowledge into 'on-the-ground' programs.
Many of OGU Member Federations lack equipment, but this isn't a barrier to participation in Parkour. Cork commented that “all Oceania countries face challenges with accessing appropriate spaces and equipment to run Parkour activities. Charles and Nicolas were able to adapt the course content and be creative with their teaching to truly prove that Parkour can be done anywhere."
There were many notable achievements over the week, some big, some small, but the OGU were particularly proud that 45% of attendees identified as female. With Parkour historically being a male dominated sport, the OGU are proud to support the engagement of women. Perriere stated that “it was the first time we’d reached such a high figure for female participation at a Parkour camp and hopefully this will be repeated elsewhere in the world”.
The OGU would like to thank the FIG and the City of Gold Coast for their support to facilitate this amazing educational opportunity.
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